More than 200 recipes from artists, curators and family members now share one manuela wirth cookbook. It began as a birthday present from Manuela Wirth to her husband, Iwan Wirth.
The couple founded the gallery Hauser & Wirth in 1992 with Ursula Hauser. Food has long been part of the shared life they built around art, friends and conversation.
Hauser & Wirth Publishers released the result as A Cookbook for Iwan: From Studio to Stove. Manuela invited artists, curators, extended family, museum directors and collectors to submit recipes for this manuela wirth cookbook. Many accepted.
The contributors include Don McCullin, whose mushroom risotto is in the book, and Louise Bourgeois, who offers a cucumber salad. Cindy Sherman submitted a garlic and bread soup, and William Kentridge contributed a pear and cardamom margarita. Annie Leibovitz and Lorna Simpson shared family recipes.
Food as art is a theme here too, and a playful London show extends it into textiles. Kate Jenkins’ Knitted Culinary Creations in London shows how knitted dishes can turn a meal into an artwork.
Inside the manuela wirth cookbook
The artist recipes range from practical weeknight dinners and hearty breakfasts to conceptual dishes and cocktails. Three contributors’ recipes in the manuela wirth cookbook stand out as a starting point: Sherman, Frank Bowling and Simpson.
Cindy Sherman’s Portuguese garlic and bread soup
Sherman first ate this soup at a restaurant in Portugal around 1998. It seemed so plain and simple that she tried to recreate it after returning home. She found the result absolutely delicious.
The method takes few steps. Mash one clove of garlic with a little salt to form a paste. Spread the paste over good, crusty stale bread in a bowl, then top it with a poached egg. Pour hot chicken broth over everything, sprinkle with cilantro, and eat straight away.
Frank Bowling’s oxtail stew in beer with cook up rice
Bowling learned to make oxtail stew and cook up rice from his mother while he was growing up in British Guyana. He says his version is not a faithful Guyanese recipe. Still, the pairing became a constant in his life in the studio, in London and New York.
He bought chopped oxtail at Brixton Market and put it in a slow cooker with whatever vegetables he had on hand. These might include carrot, onion, okra or bitter melon, plus Scotch bonnet peppers and most of a bottle of London Pride bitter beer. He left it overnight until the meat fell off the bone.
He served the stew with basmati rice. He steamed the rice gently in a small pan, then fried it in a heavy cast-iron skillet with back bacon and very finely chopped cabbage.
Frank Bowling’s champagne cocktail
Bowling still likes a tot, or small measure, of Lagavulin whisky. In recent years, though, his daily drink has been a champagne cocktail. It combines the following:
- Two thirds of a glass of champagne
- A tot of decent brandy
- A good splash of Perrier water
- A dash of Angostura bitters
- Six slices of aloe vera as a bitter garnish
Lorna Simpson’s jambalaya
Simpson’s jambalaya is a long, slow-simmered dish built on fresh pork, pork sausage and ham. The ingredient list calls for one pound of fresh pork, a dozen pork sausage links, one slice of ham, two onions and two cloves of garlic. It also includes half a cup of rice, two bay leaves and one teaspoon of thyme.
Start by cutting the pork into pieces about one inch square and chopping the onions very fine. Brown the onions and pork slowly in a tablespoon of butter, stirring often. Add the finely chopped ham and garlic, then the herbs, bay leaves, parsley and cloves. Brown for about five minutes, then add the sausage, cut into pieces, and cook for another five minutes.
The ingredient list calls for three cups of beef broth or hot water, while the method refers to three quarts. Check the amount before you begin. Once the liquid boils, add the washed rice, half a tablespoon of chili powder, salt and cayenne. Simmer for about an hour and a half, adding a little boiling water if needed, until the rice is tender.
Salt appears in nearly every recipe here, so its long trade history makes a useful companion read. History of Salt From Ancient Mines to Kitchens traces how this everyday ingredient reached the cooks who use it today.
Read together, the recipes in this manuela wirth cookbook show how a kitchen can work like a studio. Each contributor brings a method, a memory and a reason to cook for someone else. Iwan Wirth’s birthday gift now serves as a record of that shared table.
Source: wallpaper.com
Frequently asked questions
What is A Cookbook for Iwan: From Studio to Stove?
A Cookbook for Iwan: From Studio to Stove is a cookbook published by Hauser & Wirth Publishers that contains more than 200 recipes from artists, curators and family members. It began as a birthday present from Manuela Wirth to her husband, Iwan Wirth.
Which artists contributed recipes to the Manuela Wirth cookbook?
Contributors to the cookbook include Don McCullin, Louise Bourgeois, Cindy Sherman, William Kentridge, Annie Leibovitz and Lorna Simpson. Don McCullin’s mushroom risotto, Louise Bourgeois’s cucumber salad and Cindy Sherman’s garlic and bread soup are among the recipes featured.
How do you make Cindy Sherman’s Portuguese garlic and bread soup?
Mash one clove of garlic with a little salt to form a paste, then spread it over good, crusty stale bread in a bowl. Top the bread with a poached egg, pour hot chicken broth over everything, sprinkle with cilantro, and eat straight away.
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